Double Order? The game? Dayton Dominance? That last one is lame… but leave your ideas in the comments…

2006-2007 Season

Siena beats UAlbany in double overtime 76-75. Ubiles scores 20 points after hitting 4 from beyond the 3-point arc.

In a normal February game against Manhattan, Ronald Moore has his first double digit asst game with 10 dimes. This would be the first of many. Recap »

After losing two very close games to Marist earlier in the year, the Saints beat the #1 ranked Red Foxes in a semifinal classic and head to the title game for the first time since 2004. Recap »

Alex Franklin ends his freshman year with a bang by scoring 27 points on 10 out of 12 shooting in Siena’s 83-79 MAAC championship loss to Niagara. Recap »

2007-2008 Season

Siena defeats 20th ranked Stanford 79-67 at the Times Union Center. Franklin scores 14 points and Ubiles adds 11. Students and fans stormed the court after the win. Recap »

Josh Duell came up big on the road in Lawrenceville, NJ, hitting a three with 1.3 seconds remaining and capping an 11-2 run in the final 1:58 against the fiesty Broncs. Recap »

In the BracketBuster game the Saints went to Boise State to play the 20-win Broncos and crushed them 93-70. Franklin had a monster game with 30 points and 18 rebounds. Ubiles had 22 points and Moore had 9 assists. Recap »

Siena trounces Rider in the MAAC championship game 74-53. In a game known primarily for Tay Fisher’s six 3’s off the bench, Ubiles added 15 points and Franklin with 10 points. Recap »

For the program’s first NCCA tournament win since 1989, Siena upsets #4 seeded Vanderbilt 83-62. Ubiles scores 11, Franklin 10, and Moore has 6 assists for Siena. Recap »

2008-2009 Season

Siena plays their toughest schedule in school history. #12 Tennessee, Oklahoma State, #3 Pitt, and a Kansas team one year removed from a national title.

After going through the season not being able to beat any significant non conference teams, Siena defeats Northern Iowa 81-75 in their BracketBuster match up. In a balanced scoring game Ubiles scores 10 points, Franklin 9 points, and Moore 8 points. Even a kid made a $25,000 shot. Recap »

Siena gets revenge on Niagara from two years before by beating them in the MAAC championship game 77-70. Franklin puts up 16 points, Ubiles contributes 9 points, while Moore has 7 assists. Recap »

After getting bumped up to a #9 seed, the Saints beat Ohio State 74-72 in double overtime. Ubiles has 20 points and Franklin has a double-double performance with 10 points 13 rebounds. Moore has 11 points with his 7 assists, along with two of the most well-known shots in Siena history that extends the game into the 2nd OT where he then won it. The greatest game in Siena history Recap »

Siena took Rick Pitino and the #1 seeded Louisville to the brink, but lose a close game 79-72. All three players played well with Ubiles scoring 24 points, Franklin 19 points, and Moore with 10 assists. Recap »

2009-2010 Season

After opening up the season with a win against Tennessee State, Siena gets another victory over a solid Northeastern team 59-53. Ubiles scores nearly half the team’s points with 26. Franklin finishes with 9 points and Moore adds 5 assists in this low scoring game. Recap »

The Big Three end their career vs UAlbany with a nearly 30 point victory, 83-54. Ubiles doesn’t play much due to injuries but Franklin has 14 points while Moore puts up a double-double with 13 points 11 assists. Recap »

The seniors’ last victory together made them MAAC champions in a 72-65 defeat of Fairfield. Ubiles leads all scorers with 27 points. Franklin adds a double-double of 22 points and 12 boards. Moore contributes 9 points and 6 assists. Recap »

An end of an era came in the team’s opening round 72-64 loss to Purdue. Franklin scores 10 points and grabs 14 rebounds. Ubiles leads the team with 18 points, and Moore scores 14 points. Recap »

Our Cut: The 2010 Siena Saints

2009: Siena – Oh. State

2009: One Shining Moment

2008: Siena – Vandy

Gus Johnson makes an inhumane sound

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Who is Siena? Haven’t I seen this name the past two years in my bracket? This name is so familiar I should just pick them right? Yes, and yes.

It’s a great day in sports; it’s the day that you spend penciling in teams in your bracket, until you can’t even read through the erase marks. Many of you are here now doing your due diligence on the 2010 Siena Saints.

If your team is in, congratulations, and good luck, unless of course you’re a Purdue fan, in which case we wish bad things upon you, well, that was a little dramatic– we wish your team plays extremely poorly on Friday night. We mean like first half Purdue poorly.

Recent History

The 2008 Siena Saints dominated Vanderbilt in the first round as a #13 seed. Their 21-point win over Vanderbilt was the most lopsided #13 over #4 seed win since 1985. They would go on to lose to Villanova in the second round.

Last year, #9 Siena took #8 Ohio State to double overtime in the first round. This is where PG Ronald Moore got his name on the map, knocking down two crucial threes in the closing seconds of each OT. In the second round, they were right with Louisville with about five to go, but the #1 seed proved too much for Siena to handle.

This Season

Siena has since lost one starter and one bench player in each year, but this has not stopped them. The Saints attempted to schedule up again this season, but nobody wanted to play them. Siena had their chances for quality wins against 4 NCAA Tournament teams; they lost a close one against Temple, lost at Georgia Tech (without Ubiles), competed closely with Northern Iowa, and got smoked by Butler.

Siena simply dominated the MAAC conference this season. Including the conference tournament, the Saints were 20-1 this season. In their last three games, they have trailed by 6+ points at half and have come back to win, including an overtime victory the Championship game. Siena trailed by as much as 15 points in the first half. One thing is for sure, if you let this team hang around, they will come back– they are resilient.

The Starters

PG Ronald Moore
Moore leads the nation in assists, but more importantly, is the most clutch player perhaps in Siena’s history. Ronald may only be shooting 23% from three this season, but two of those three pointers have come in the closing minutes of the Saints’ past two games.

SG Clarence Jackson
Clarence is the three point specialist for Siena, but has proven that he has the ability to drive the ball to the hoop with authority.

SF Edwin Ubiles
Ubiles marks the top of Siena’s 1-2-2 press. He has great length, anticipation, and the most NBA potential on this team. Edwin appears to be finishing off his Siena career strong, shooting 47.8% from the field in his last five games. Ubiles can simply do it all.

PF Alex Franklin
Conference Player of the year, MAAC Tournament MVP, there is not much else you really need to say about Franklin, who has greatly improved his ability to put the ball on the deck and go one on one. Alex’s strength is not found anywhere else in the league, and he has proven he can match up with bigger Div. I talent.

C Ryan Rossiter
Ryan Rossiter is sometimes overlooked, but it is hard to overlook his presence coming into this game. He is 5th in the country, averaging over a double-double per game, 21 this season. Rossiter is the smartest player on this team, and fights for every rebound.

Quick Facts

• Location: Albany, NY
• Enrollment: 3,000
• 6th NCAA Tournament Appearance
• Siena has the second longest home court winning streak (38) in Division I

Catch the 2009-10 Siena Saints video highlights and more HD video at our video page.

There are eye witness accounts of this situation over in the Siena Hoops forums. Oh yeah, and you can find Gene’s address and phone number there; my advice is either write him a letter, or order a bunch of Anchovies pizzas to his house. Preferably the latter.

Kudos to Ronald Moore.

I haven’t written much because my perspective has changed.  Actually, it’s a reflection of how my twenty year viewpoint as a Siena fan has changed over the past five months.

After Siena made their run in 1989, and went to the final four of the 1994 NIT, I was thinking about the future.  I thought Siena could become Lasalle or better.  Then Mike Deane left and we had to suffer the Bob Beyer years.

Once Paul Hewitt came and revived the program, the same expectations arose.  Then he left.

This year, as a direct result of their success last year, my views changed.  I decided to ENJOY the success, without delving in to possible future aspirations.

ESPN touted Siena (along with other major media) as a preseason top 25 team.  I drank the kool-aid.  I bought in to the hype.  After the losses in Orlando at the Old Spice Classic, though, I changed my attitude.  Immediately.  I don’t know why, but it happened.

I decided to enjoy the wins.  I went to half a dozen games, and listened to the radio broadcasts or watched the televised games on DVR when I couldn’t make it.  It completely changed my view as a fan.

We may lose head coach Fran McCaffery this time.  Perhaps he stays – he is almost 50 years old, and there’s no guarantee that even if he signs a multi-year million dollar contract at a big school like Virginia the odds are that he wins more and has more success at a school like Siena.

But like Deane’s and Hewitt’s departures before, I’m now used to it.  So I’ve focused on the players, and the current success, and had more fun this year than ever before as a Siena fan.

With luck, we’ll keep Coach Fran.  Without it, though, we return four incredible starters next year, we get to put in the offensive and burgeoning defensive skills of Clarence Jackson to the the starting lineup, and welcome a highly regarded recruiting class while developing underclassmen Owen Wignot and Kyle Downey and adding the abilities of Lasalle transfer Kyle Griffen.

The future is bright, but I am basking in the glow of the present.  Never before has a Siena team been this successful or well regarded in the national spotlight.  We’re finally being talked about in the same breath as perrenial mid-major successes as Xavier and Gonzaga.  While I had always aspired to attain the successes of those programs for the Siena base, though, I’m not as focused on it as I have been in the past.  The program is in good hands, and they’ll still most likely never have the financial resources of those schools.  So I’ve decided to soak this in, watch my DVR’d replays from the past month, and look forward to whatever happens in the future not with bated breath or unattainable expectation, but gleeful anticipation.

There is a silver lining here – in the unfortunate instance that Coach Fran decides to move on there will be a VERY talented veteran coach waiting in the wings who may be able to step in and take the reigns at what now has to be one of the most desired mid-major programs in the northeast.  Tim Welsh is being mentioned, which would bring instant credibility to the program.  Perhaps someone else steps in with the vision of Coach McCaffery to continue strong recruitment and scheduling to continue the evident success which the program currently possesses.  Perhaps Coach Fran stays.  If he does, my newfound Zen-like vision will enjoy much satisfaction.

But I won’t look to the future.  I won’t be sad if Fran leaves – I’ll wish him well and thank him for the memories.  What I will remember is a regular season win over Stanford, a blowout tourney win versus Vanderbilt, and a 27 win season which saw us play the big boys and beat a Big Ten team for the chance to take the best team in the country down to the wire.

I’ll enjoy watching Siena come from behind to take a four point lead over #1 Louisville with seven minutes left in regulation in the second round of the NCAA tournament.  I’ll thrill at jumping up and down like a ten year old with my best friends in the bar watching Ronald Moore hit his two legendary three point shots against Ohio State for the win.

But I will not worry about if Siena ever gets any more recognition again by the national media – they got it this year.  They’ve arrived.  The Siena College men’s basketball team is now where I had always envisioned it could be, and they are enjoying what I’ve always wanted them to be: a nationally recognized program.

Here’s to an unbelievable season by your Siena Saints.  As fans enjoy it, revel in it, spend your summer soaking it in.  It will be just as good next year possibly better.  But don’t worry about it, don’t fret – just enjoy it.  The program has arrived, and it will succeed.

“We were never in the game mentally the way we needed to be,” Matta said after the eighth-seeded Buckeyes were bounced in the opening round for the first time since 2001. “We never had a flow, we didn’t rebound, we didn’t handle pressure.”

“Give Siena credit. They made some huge plays down the stretch and we didn’t do some things we needed to do.”

Jeff Goodman has high praise for Siena and Ronald Moore’s performance, even though it says “Craig Moore”. The NY Times has a recap of Siena’s dramatic victory and some comments on their The Quad blog:

One more thing about midmajors: Siena is the first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference team to win games in the N.C.A.A. tournament two years in a row. With the Big Ten at 4-3 and the A.C.C. at 3-4, maybe it’s time to listen to the coaches like Niagara’s Joe Michalich, who told Pete Thamel after the bids were announced: “The beauty of this tournament is not Oklahoma State playing Clemson.”

Even though both games went to overtime, anyone without a rooting interest would have to agree that a little guy (Siena) against a big guy (Ohio State) had a lot more juice than two also-rans from big conferences (Florida State and Wisconsin) slugging it out.

Louisville wore down Morehead State and pulled away for a 20 point win. With their win the 1 vs. 16 matchup is now a perfect 100-0 for the #1 seeds. C.J. Brown thinks that, like Memphis last year, the free throw line will be the Cardinals achilles heel in this tournament. They will apply relentless pressure and see how the Saints can hang with the overall #1 seed.

#9 Siena shot 33% from the field, their lowest percentage of the season. Siena‘s 51 rebounds are a season high, 21 of those being offensive rebounds which is also a season high.

Alex Franklin (10 pts, 13 rebs) and Ryan Rossiter (16 pts, 15 rebs) both delivered double doubles and Rossiter hit all 6 of his free throws down the stretch. Evan Turner finished with 25 points to lead the Buckeyes.

Siena turned it over 21 times, more than #8 Ohio State‘s 19, but the Saints were able to make critical shots down the stretch late in this ballgame. All five starters scored in double figures and Moore made his only two three point field goals in the overtime periods.

Someone doubted, but there’s no doubt this is one of the best games of all time for the Siena program.

This is Siena’s 2nd straight tournament appearance, first time the Saints made consecutive appearances. Siena is now 4-4 all time in the NCAA Tournament. Siena will play #1 seed Louisville Sunday at 5:20. More to come…

If anyone remembers, Kenny Hasbrouck was in a scoring slump early in the season and struggled at Pitt. After that game he had a heart to heart talk with Coach Fran McCaffery:

“He took me in his office and we talked about it, and then everything then came together… I figured out that I had to have fun. It’s a game and I couldn’t stress over it. I had to do what I do best and be aggressive.”

Siena knows they won’t be in a hometown environment but they will have to play through it. And one of the definite key players to this game is Alex Franklin and the other big men and how they’ll match up against Ohio State’s tall players. Franklin insists he is 6’6″, even with that though, he plays like he is 6’9″ and will have to be against projectable big men like B.J. Mullens. We will see if Siena will play any zone which could concern the Buckeyes, the Cleveland Plain Dealer says:

…expect the Saints to put pressure on the OSU ballhandlers. With Jeremie Simmons proving again in the Big Ten Tournament title game against Purdue that he’s not a point guard who’s comfortable dribbling under pressure, P.J. Hill’s minutes could increase… The Buckeyes can’t afford to make leading scorer Evan Turner serve as the primary ballhandler the entire game.

Siena fans know him but one player to watch out for is Clarence Jackson. If Jackson gets going early hitting a few shots, the Saints are much much deeper and tougher to defend.

The New York Times is looking for fan photos and Coke Zero is looking for fan videos. Minor story on Fran is he turned down a scholarship to North Carolina and Wake Forest as a player.